Planning a visit for artist Anne Grgich

I have been looking at the work of outsider artists, self taught artists, visionaries, folk artists for a while now and via the art magazine/journal Raw Vision http://www.rawvision.com/ I have been introduced to many amazing artists and their way.

One of these artists is Anne Grgich, http://www.annegrgich.com/ I saw her work earlier this year at the NYC Outsider Art Fair and was engaged and intrigued by her work. A friend here described her work as engaging and bona fide .. she is the real thing ...

So I made contact with Anne via email and facebook and we started to talk... I have invited Anne to visit with us here in Wilmington NC end of September 2012 ..  to work at ACME ART STUDIOS  http://www.acme-art-studios.com and to make art, run workshops, meet artists, talk about her work

Connolly @621n4th ..

Its been a busy year and there's more to come ..
I have many projects in mind for 2012 and its a changing plan for sure ..
Currently I have new works on show at 621N4th gallery, Wilmington NC .. with fellow artist Colleen Ringrose.,
Here is an album of my work on show
https://plus.google.com/photos/101632868113548186981/albums/5734787251309704369?authkey=CMyk9qK1zNW35gE

Thanks to Lumina News for the article of the current show

http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=10096&iid=320&sud=42

The work of an artist ..

Thanks to all the folks that made it out last night to our latest exhibition at ACME ART STUDIOS .. Les Trois Amis .. a lot of hard work .. the art, the promotion, the painting of walls, the tidying up of studio space .. for those of you that think its a simple life .. think again ..

So here I sit the night after the grand opening and to reflect on the success of the show, it made me stop and think .. yes it was good to sell work but more important than that was the celebration of the work and my development as an artist. I believe that this is going to be a monumental year in my art career and so here is to many more exhibitions to come!

Friday March 30th Fritzi Huber and I will be on WHQR radio discussing our exhibition and inviting the public to come and see the work for themselves. The show is on display until April 16th and in the meantime here are few photos of the exhibition .. works by Connolly, Huber and Darrow

ACME ART STUDIOS is located at 711 N5th Avenue Wilmington NC 28401 USA .. if you are close by then come and see the art and meet the artists .. contact Michelle to make an appointment marsconnolly@gmail.com

Les Trois Amis - March 23rd ACME Art Studios

Working hard for my next art show at ACME Art Studios:-

The Show Must Go On ... !

LES TROIS AMIS - Connolly - Darrow - Huber

"Les Trois Amis', the three friends, is an exhibit at Acme Art in Wilmington not to be missed. The friends in question are Elizabeth Darrow, Michelle Connolly and Fritzi Huber. All three have earned a degree of notoriety not only in Wilmington, North Carolina, but well beyond as well. What follows is a bit to be said about each of these unique women who have drawn together for this gathering of works.

Becoming engaged in, and carried along by the process, is what making art is all about for Elizabeth Darrow. Her paintings and collages emerge from the process itself, rather than from any preconceived plan. Her only 'plan' is to create an initial chaos, then to impose order on that. The process moves itself along, taking unexpected turns as various shapes and colors are added to the equation. Out of a succession of layers an image emerges. Darrow works within the tradition of Abstract Expressionism where discovery comes through the process itself. She states," I love playing with scraps of paper, experimenting with various combinations, layering colors, textures and shapes, looking for a balanced, cohesive outcome. When I'm satisfied visually, then I look to the piece to identify itself; thus the title".

Michelle Connolly responds to finding images in random marks on the paper, or within the picture's surface area. She often sees faces in the work as is reflected in her recent series "Characters". Here she pushes the mixed media elements of the work in a new direction which has a more sculptural, bas relief, sensibility. Faces are assembled from scraps of metal, wire, rivets, fasteners, reclaimed materials, as well as other more traditional means of expression, to draw us to the core of her personal expression: an affinity for outsider/visionary art, its bold straightforward approach. "I go to work with a constant stream of ideas and creative energy. My process is playful and inventive, I enjoy the challenge of using reclaimed materials to create an image. The subject is irrelevant. Whether an animal, a bird, a person or a landscape - I bring my interpretation to the work, the subject being simply a point of departure - a starting point for the experiment to begin!"

Fritzi Huber's current work, "Home Sweet Home", addresses not only her personal history of a life growing up on the road as part of a circus family, but as an observer of what circus now has in common with much of the outside world: the trailer. What once was a romantic look at these homes on wheels, has recently become a viable housing/living option for a segment of our population in a troubled economy. All of the works are on and of paper. Huber has been a hand papermaker , and mixed media artist, for over 30 years.To communicate her ideas she uses this process while incorporating remnants of fabric, drawings, scraps of paper along with other mixed media to express a bittersweet nostalgia. " I have a basic dialogue in my head when beginning a work, then it starts to talk back, to communicate what should come next. It's really a collaboration."

This openness to 'what dreams may come' may just be what these three have in common, and we might assume, why they are friends.

Press Release statement:

Les Trois Amis is an exhibit of works by Wilmington artists Michelle Connolly, Elizabeth Darrow, and Fritzi Huber, on display at Acme Art from March 23 through April 17. The opening reception is March 23 from 6-9 at 711 N. 5th Ave. in downtown Wilmington.

All three artists work with re-purposed materials. Michelle Connolly enjoys assembling her “characters” with found objects--bits of metal, wood, cloth etc. in combination with paint. Elizabeth Darrow creates her collages with layered scraps of paper, many of them recycled from her previous collages. Fritzi Huber conjures images inspired by dreams and personal history through the process of hand papermaking.

In spite of very different outcomes to their creative process, these three women share a common approach to making art in that they allow the process to carry them along, feeding off unexpected developments along the way. Their work moves toward a resolution that is not premeditated, but rather presents itself, almost magically, to the watchful eye. Humor exists side by side with mystery and angst, offering up a complex and ultimately satisfying visual experience.

http://www.michelleconnollyart.com

http://www.elizabethdarrowart.com

"Fritzi Huber, A Circus Life", April-August, 2011, at the Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, NC. She is represented by New Elements Gallery in Wilmington as well.

Best Regards

Michelle Connolly

AMCE Art Studios

711 N 5th Ave, Wilmington NC 28401

910 232 0823

The People you meet along the Way ..

I've been reflecting on the many wonderful people I have met since being here in USA.. there are too many to name but I do appreciate all the wonderful artists at ACME ART STUDIOS - love all the artists I work with:- Michael Van Hout, Gary Breece, Dumay Gorham, Dick Roberts, MJ Cunningham, Evan Pileri, Sandy Lee, Sandy Ihlee, Cheryl McGraw, Katherine Wolfe Webb, Allan Nance, Grey Pascal, Meredith Connelly, Vance Williams, Vicky Smith, Pam Toll, Karen Crouch, Marshall Milton, Arrow Ross and Michelle Connolly where I work . No Boundaries Colony and the gift to artists to make work on Bald Head Island .. tis a wonderful colony and long may it live!! I also appreciate the key players in the Wilmington art community :- Dennis and Posey Walsaak at 621 N4th gallery are great art professionals with a generous heart. Juan and Tammy Pacini run Folks Cafe .. they have transformed the cafe into a great place to meet friends and drink good coffee during the day. Billy Mellon runs Manna restaurant is a key player in the arts community supporting artists and musicians with Wilmington Unplugged and SuperUnplugged .. he is a diamond geezer!

Projekte on Castle Street which was run by our friend Bonnie England and now by cool guy Kraig Bienias

Then there are the artists that I have met that are working at home and really working hard at their craft .. Elizabeth Darrow, Fritzi Huber and Colleen Ringrose.

I'd also like to mention some other artists that have made me sit up and watch .. Harry Taylor is an artist and photographer working with Tin Types .. he has the edge .. his work makes you stop and look again. Then another good friend here in Wilmington Shannon Bourne who does print making and her work is quality!! ,,, ok this may have to be a part series are there are so many people to mention .. Gayle Tustin .. Evalyn Boyd Hines ,,, Dina Wilde Ramsing, Claire Hartman

Working .. the lid has been taken off

Working hard at it .. always .. making and discovering as I go .. its part of the process .. one work leads to another and working on multiple pieces at a time.. this is my way... I work in a comfortable chaos .. its comfortable as I enjoy my space .. my studio .. my layering of works .. its the accidents that make it worth while .. when I discover a funny bit of metal that suits a work and then it is so .. drill, rivets // Bobs your uncle, Fannys your aunt .. lord knows what that means // but basically it comes together in the end. I have an eye for design and so I let the works in progress sit around my studio at ACME and then I find the solution for finishing .. colour of the oil paint or the juxtaposition of mixed media element .. its a process of invention .. I love seeing where it will take me and the work .. tis bliss! For me to be a studio artist is a dream come true .. the lid has been taken off and I'm not stopping for anything or anyone!

My First Art Book ..

One of my intentions for the new year is to reach a wider audience with my work so along with updating my website I decided to create and order a Blurb book of some of my recent paintings and assembled artworks .. check it out Michelle Connolly's Art